REMINISCENCES, INCIDENTS, BATTLES,
MARCHES and CAMP LIFE
OF THE
OLD 4th MICHIGAN INFANTRY
IN WAR OF REBELLION,
1861 TO 1864.
By O. S. BARRETT,
Late Lieut. Co. B, 4th Michigan Infantry.
——
Dedicated to the Survivors of the Regiment.
——
Hope for the living,
Tears for the dead.
——
DETROIT, MICH.:
W. S. OSTLER, PUBLISHER,
1888.
THE
FOURTH 
REGIMENT 
Michigan Volunteer Infantry
was organized at Adrian, Michigan, and Mustered intoUnited States Service June 20, 1861, for three years. It wasquartered in the North College building, of the group ofbuildings situated at extreme west suburbs of City. Wascommanded by Dwight A. Woodbury. It was presented bythe ladies of Adrian, with a beautiful flag. The Regimentleft its Rendezvous June 25th, for Washington, numbering onits rolls 1025, officers and men. In his orders for the movement,Colonel Woodbury said: “Let each man rememberthat he has the honor of Michigan in his keeping.” The firstappearance of the Regiment, while passing through Cleveland,Ohio, brought from the Leader of that city, the followingnotice of
MICHIGAN TROOPS.
“When we see the splendidly armed and equipped Regimentsfrom Michigan, pass through here on their way to theseat of war, and compare their appearance with that of theRegiments that left Camp Cleveland recently, it makes us[Pg 4]almost ashamed of Ohio, and inclines us to enquire in themildest and most collected manner, why it is that Michiganin the same length of time sends Regiments to the field preparedfor service, while Ohio, who boasts of her enterpriseand patriotism, sends from her camps as Regiments, meremobs of men, half uniformed, unarmed, and wholly withoutdrill.”
The Regiment left Cleveland, via Buffalo to Elmira,New York, where we took supper with 23d New York Regimentin barracks there. We were royally entertained; hada good time; had a good supper. I wish to say here, thefirst hard tack the writer ever saw was issued to us at Cleveland.They were round, and as large as an elephant’s foot,and as tough as a prohibitionist’s conscience. I noticed someof the boys, out on platform of cars, trying how far theycould sail them. Others had coupling pins, trying to pulverizethem. On leaving Elmira, some of the boys who were alittle off, pulled the coupling pin, which detached three orfour cars. The rest of the train pulled out some distancebefore it was discovered. The advance section backed up,the rear cars were hitched on, and the boys were induced toall-aboard, and the train passed on to Harrisburg, Pa. TheRegiment encamped a few days at that city, and we weredrilled in the art of street fighting, expecting a collision atBaltimore. The people of Harrisburg asked: “has Michigansent another Regiment equipped?” And in fact the troopsat Camp Curtin “thought if Pennsylvania would only clotheher men like that, she woul